Upgrading, Development and Integration of Next Generation Earthquake Engineering Experimental Capability at Rensselaer's 100 g-ton Geotechnical Centrifuge

地震工程模拟网络（NEES）项目是美国国家科学基金会重大研究设备计划资助的一个项目。根据NEES计划，该合作协议将在伦斯勒理工学院（RPI）建立NEES离心机地震工程研究设备基地。RPI将设计、购买、建造、安装、调试和操作新设备，并对其现有的100g吨岩土离心机进行升级。升级后的离心机将于2004年或更早投入使用，并将作为国家共享使用的NEES设备站点进行管理，具有远程观测和远程操作能力，到2014年提供新的地震工程研究测试能力。该NEES设备站点将通过高性能网络连接到NEES合作实验室。共享使用的获取和培训将通过NEES联盟进行协调。该奖项是对提交给项目招标NSF 00-6， NEES：地震工程研究设备的提案进行同行评审的结果。自1991年以来，RPI的岩土离心机已成功地被RPI的教师和学生以及其他研究人员使用。离心机位于琼森工程中心的RPI校园中心。该合同提供以下设备：(a)一个二维飞行激振器（两个原型水平组件）和相关的二维层流箱容器，以实现更逼真的二维建模；(b)对离心机进行修改，使二维激振器能够安全操作；(c)一个四自由度机器人、机器人工具和相关软件，能够在飞行操作中执行施工和挖掘、打桩、地面修复、锥形渗透等操作；(d)一个具有互联网远程观测/远程操作能力的联网数据采集系统，该系统将与高速RPI千兆以太网骨干网相连，(e)两个高速摄像机、图像处理软件和商用传感器，(f)用于提高所测模型响应分辨率的先进传感器，以及(g)额外的仪器、特殊容器和其他设备。这种升级后的离心机将提供研究地震工程中三个重要问题的能力：由于土壤液化引起的横向扩展和流动破坏，由于液化和横向扩展引起的土壤-结构相互作用和基础反应，以及创新边坡稳定系统的地震行为。该合同还包括授予加州大学圣地亚哥分校的一个子合同，用于离心机远程观察/远程操作能力开发的试点项目。RPI将把实验与升级后的离心机整合到其研究项目、本科和研究生课程中，并为外部研究人员提供培训机会。

CMS-0086555DobryThe Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Program is a project funded under the NSF Major Research Equipment Program. This cooperative agreement, under the NEES Program, establishes a NEES centrifuge earthquake engineering research equipment site at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). RPI will design, purchase, construct, install, commission, and operate new equipment for, and upgrades to, its existing 100 g-ton Geotechnical Centrifuge. The upgraded Centrifuge will be operational by 2004 or earlier and will be managed as a national shared-use NEES equipment site, with teleobservation and teleoperation capabilities, to provide new earthquake engineering research testing capabilities through 2014. This NEES equipment site will be connected to the NEES collaboratory through a high performance network. Shared-use access and training will be coordinated through the NEES Consortium. This award is the outcome of peer review of this proposal submitted to program solicitation NSF 00-6, NEES: Earthquake Engineering Research Equipment. RPI's Geotechnical Centrifuge has been successfully used by RPI faculty and students and other researchers since 1991. The Centrifuge is located centrally on the RPI campus in the Jonsson Engineering Center. This award provides the following equipment: (a) one 2D in flight shaker (two prototype horizontal components) and associated 2D laminar box container to allow for more realistic 2D modeling, (b) modifications to the Centrifuge to enable safe operation of the 2D shaker, (c) one four degree-of-freedom robot, robot tools, and associated software, capable of performing in flight operations such as construction and excavation, pile driving, ground remediation, cone penetration, and static and cyclic loading tests without stopping the Centrifuge, (d) a networked data acquisition system with Internet teleobservation/teleoperation capability, to be linked to the high-speed RPI Gigabit Ethernet Backbone, (e) two high-speed cameras, image processing software, and commercial sensors, (f) advanced sensors for better resolution of the measured model response, and (g) additional instruments, special containers, and other equipment. This upgraded Centrifuge will provide capabilities to investigate three important problems in earthquake engineering: lateral spreading and flow failure due to soil liquefaction, soil-structure interaction and foundation response due to liquefaction and lateral spreading, and the seismic behavior of innovative slope stabilization systems. This award includes a subaward to the University of California, San Diego, for a pilot project during the development of the Centrifuge's teleobservation/teleoperation capability. RPI will integrate experimentation with the upgraded Centrifuge into its research program and undergraduate and graduate curricula and provide training opportunities for outside researchers.